Henry Valles led Austin's first hempcrete home in 2017. He's the local expert at the intersection of carbon-negative construction and healthy-material residential design.
Hempcrete is a bio-composite of hemp hurd (the woody inner core of the industrial hemp plant), a lime-based binder, and water. It's typically cast in place inside a wood structural frame, or used as pre-fabricated blocks. Hempcrete itself is non-load-bearing — it functions as a high-performance, hygrothermal infill that handles insulation, vapor management, and acoustic performance in a single homogeneous wall.
In 2017, Henry led the initiative to bring hempcrete to Community First Village — a 51-acre master-planned residential community in East Austin developed by Mobile Loaves & Fishes for individuals exiting chronic homelessness. The hempcrete project at the Village paired carbon-negative, non-toxic, healthy construction with social impact, and remains a reference point for hempcrete construction in Texas.
Henry has since presented this work and the broader case for hempcrete construction at:
Hempcrete is one expression of a larger practice: specifying construction materials by their toxicity profile, not just their performance specs. The Healthy Materials Lab at Parsons School of Design — where Henry holds a Healthier and Sustainable Building certificate — is the leading academic center on this.
| Category | Healthy-material targets |
|---|---|
| Paints, sealants, adhesives | Low- or zero-VOC; no formaldehyde, no phthalates |
| Cabinetry & substrates | NAUF (no added urea formaldehyde) plywood and MDF; CARB Phase 2 compliant |
| Flooring | PVC-free; FloorScore certified; no antimicrobial pesticides |
| Insulation | Mineral wool, cellulose, hempcrete, sheep's wool — avoiding fiberglass with formaldehyde binders |
| Plumbing fixtures | Lead-free certified; PEX-A or copper, avoiding suspect plastics where possible |
| Air filtration | MERV-13 minimum; HEPA where indicated; tested ERV/HRV ventilation |
Hempcrete is a bio-composite building material made from the woody inner core of the hemp plant (the hurd or shiv), a lime-based binder, and water. It is used as cast-in-place wall infill or as pre-fabricated blocks. Hempcrete is non-load-bearing and is paired with a structural frame (typically wood) to form a complete wall assembly.
Three reasons: (1) it sequesters carbon — hempcrete walls actively store CO₂ that the hemp plant pulled from the atmosphere as it grew; (2) it has excellent hygrothermal performance, meaning it manages temperature and moisture together in ways that reduce mold risk and HVAC load; (3) it's non-toxic — no VOCs off-gas from a hempcrete wall, and the material is fully recyclable and compostable at end of life.
Estimates vary by mix design, but credible studies place hempcrete carbon sequestration around 100–165 lbs of CO₂ per cubic meter of cast wall, accounting for the lime binder's offsetting emissions. A typical residential wall assembly can be carbon-negative on a lifecycle basis — meaning the wall itself stores more CO₂ than was emitted to make and install it.
Yes. Industrial hemp cultivation and use of hemp-derived building materials is legal in Texas under the 2018 federal Farm Bill and Texas's hemp program. The material itself is approved under the IRC alternative-materials provisions, and there are now multiple AEGB- and code-compliant hempcrete homes in Austin and Texas.
Henry Valles led the initiative to build Austin's first hempcrete home at Community First Village in 2017 — a community for individuals exiting chronic homelessness. It paired non-toxic, healthy construction with social impact, and remains a reference point for hempcrete construction in Texas.
Healthy materials is the practice of selecting building products that minimize toxicity to occupants and workers across the lifecycle: low/no VOCs in paints, sealants, and adhesives; formaldehyde-free cabinetry and substrates; PVC-free flooring; lead-, phthalate-, and antimicrobial-free fixtures; transparent ingredient disclosure (Cradle to Cradle, Declare, Health Product Declarations). The Healthy Materials Lab at Parsons School of Design — where Henry holds a certificate — is the leading academic center on this.
Yes — though they are still a small share of the inventory. Henry tracks hempcrete projects, deeply healthy-material custom builds, and developments where this is part of the brief. He can also advise buyers commissioning new construction or retrofitting an existing home with healthy-material principles.